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Biglerville finishes off sweep, wins South Penn title

Biglerville avoids disaster in seventh, wins first title since '02

By TOM SIXEAS

For the Evening Sun

Posted:
08/09/2014 05:48:43 PM EDT

Biglerville's Bobby Weaver jumps over North Carroll's Dan Ditman at first base Saturday in Game 3 of the South Penn League championship series. Biglerville won, 6-5, to sweep the best-of-five series. (Shane Dunlap — The Evening Sun)

T.C Senseney recovered from shoulder issues to start his first game since June 14. The Biglerville starter pitched into the seventh against North Carroll in the final game of the South Penn League championship series. (Shane Dunlap — The Evening Sun)

It wasn't easy, but when Tyrel Taughinbaugh tracked down Dan Ditman's fly in deep center field Biglerville was once again South Penn Baseball League champions. The Black Sox held on to defeat the North Carroll Panthers, 6-5, in Game 3 of their best-of-five league championship series to complete the sweep Saturday afternoon at Oakside Community Park in Biglerville.

By avenging its 2013 loss at the hands of North Carroll in the championship series, Biglerville took home its first league title since 2002 and the fourth crown in club history.

Biglerville (24-11) held a 6-2 lead into the seventh with T.C. Senseney looking good in his first action on the hill since June 14 because of a shoulder issue. The Panthers mounted a rally off of Senseney that started with back-to-back singles by Dave Freeman and Nolan Little that ended Senseney's day.

D.J. Cool came on in relief, and after a fielder's choice, Zach Neumeister singled home a run. Elijah Wingate then loaded the bases with a single before a Trevor Walzl sac fly cut the lead to 6-4. An Austin Maloney single brought Ditman to the plate and it brought North Carroll within one run of tying the game.

"Letting up four runs early really put us in a hole," North Carroll's player-manager Wingate said. "We battled back and gave it a good run, but it just wasn't enough."

Kevin Knouse, who hit just .228 during the regular season, rapped out two singles and knocked in two runs in Game 3 and finished the series 6-for-7 with two walks, three runs scored and four RBIs.

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"I had a rough regular season," the nine-year veteran said. "Getting the first-round bye really helped me. We had a couple practices and I got some swings in. It really clicked for me in this series."

Knouse was in the middle of a four-run rally in the bottom of the first for the Sox. Bobby Weaver drew a bases loaded walk and Ditman, the Panthers' starter, threw a pair of wild pitches that allowed two more runs to score.

Biglerville players and coaches celebrate after a 6-5 victory against North Carroll Saturday. It marked the club's first league championship since 2002. (Shane Dunlap — The Evening Sun)

Ditman walked the leadoff batter in the second before Wingate replaced him, and Wingate kept Biglerville in check through the fourth inning.

North Carroll (22-17) was able to slice the lead in half in the top of the fourth when Freeman smoked a ball just out of the reach of Taughinbaugh for a two-run triple.

In the fifth, Knouse singled home Weaver, who had reached on an error to start the inning. Then in the sixth, Kyle Knouse flared a single to shallow center field that scored Jerp Reinhart.

"We scored four in the first and then kind of fell off offensively," Ashton Taughinbaugh, Biglerville's player-manager, said. "Those two late runs ended up being huge for us.

"T.C. was throwing a little slower than he used to, but he kept the ball down and they kept trying to kill it."

Senseney finished the day throwing six innings and allowing one earned run on six hits with no strikeouts and three walks. He threw 58 of his 100 pitches for strikes.

"I went into the game with no expectations at all because I hadn't pitched in so long," Senseney said. "I felt good in the first inning and then had to sit a while because our offense scored four times.

"I'll never complain about run support, but it took me a little while to get it back out there."

Kyle Knouse, an 18-year veteran, is the only holdover from the 2002 squad and he had a nice day in the clincher with a pair of singles. For the series, he had three hits, two doubles and scored four runs. He wasn't sure how much his teammates thought about revenge after losing in 2013, but he had a different take on it.

"They beat us in all seven games last season, six of them by one run," Knouse said. "But every year is a new year. You put together the best team you can and try to win as many games as you can. Can't worry about the past."

A couple of additions to the roster over the past two years also played crucial roles in the sweep for the Sox with longtime Mummasburg Mets players, Reinhart and Weaver, stepping up. Reinhart came over to the Sox in 2013 when the Mets folded, and after taking a year off last season, Weaver joined Biglerville this season.

"I can't describe how it feels to win a title. It'll probably hit me more tomorrow," Reinhart said. "It's been a lot of years and lot of hard work to try to get here."

Weaver added: "I had a lot of tough years at Mummasburg. Never got out of the first round. (Mets' manager) Keane (Starner) tried and tried to build a winner there and it just didn't happen. Finally when they folded, I decided to come over here because I knew they had a great team and I knew we'd have a good chance to win here."